Five new secondary metabolites from Aster tataricus.

Aster tataricus L.f. is highly valued for its rich reserves of bioactive compounds. Our research focused on the identification of previously unreported compounds found within the ethanol extract of A. tataricus. Through meticulous spectroscopic analyses and computational methods like NMR calculations and ECD, we successfully elucidated the structures of five novel compounds termed tatarisides A-E (1-5), alongside two known compounds (6, 7). The anti-inflammatory assays conducted yielded noteworthy results, particularly in relation to compounds 1 and 5. These compounds exhibited significant potential in inhibiting the release of NO in LPS-induced RAW 264.7 cells, as evidenced by their respective IC50 values of 17.81 ± 1.25 µM and 13.32 ± 0.84 µM. The discovery of these new compounds adds to the existing knowledge of A. tataricus's chemical composition and potential applications.

Acupuncture for Hypertension in Animal Models: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to summarize and evaluate the efficacy of acupuncture in hypertension animal study. METHODS: Studies were searched from six databases, including Medline, Embase, Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, VIP information database, and Chinese Biomedical Literature Database. Study quality of each included study was evaluated according to the Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments (ARRIVE) guidelines, and the risk of bias was evaluated by the Systematic Review Centre for Laboratory Animal Experimentation (SYRCLE) tool. Systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were selected as outcomes. Meta-analyses were performed using Stata 12.0 software. The effect size was calculated by combining SBP/DBP/MAP data with the random effects model, respectively. RESULTS: 67 studies containing 1522 animals were included. According to the ARRIVE guideline, 8 items were assessed as poor and 4 items were assessed as excellent. According to the SYRCLE tool, all studies were judged as having high risk of bias. Compared with the hypertension group, the pooled results showed significant antihypertension effects of acupuncture for SBP, DBP, and MAP. Similarly, compared with the sham-acupuncture group, the pooled results showed significant antihypertension effects of acupuncture for SBP, DBP, and MAP. CONCLUSION: Although pooled data suggested that the acupuncture group was superior to the hypertension group or sham-acupuncture group for SBP/DBP/MAP, the presentation of poor methodological quality, high risk of bias, and heterogeneity deserves cautious interpretation of the results.

[Leaf C:N:P stoichiometry of 67 plant species and its relations with climate factors across the deserts in Xinjiang, China.] / 新疆67ç§è’æ¼ æ¤ç‰©å¶ç¢³æ°®ç£·è®¡é‡ç‰¹å¾åŠå ¶ä¸Žæ°”å€™çš„å ³ç³».

Desert ecosystem has unique drought-enduring plants and stoichiometric characteristics. We collected leaf samples of 67 plant species from 63 desert sites in Xinjiang, and explored foliar carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) stoichiometry and the relationship between leaf nutrient stoichiometry and climatic factors. The results showed that the average content of leaf C, N and P in these plants were 394, 18.4 and 1.14 mg·g-1, respectively. The mean values of C:N, C:P and N:P were 28, 419 and 18, respectively. In general, shrubs had higher leaf N content than trees and herbs, while leaf P content was lower (higher) in shrubs than in herbaceous plants (trees). Plants with C3 photosynthesis pathway had higher leaf C, N, C:P and N:P than those with C4 pathway. With increasing mean annual precipitation, leaf C first decreased and then increased, while both leaf N and P showed the opposite trend. Leaf C:N and C:P first decreased and then increased, while leaf N:P changed insignificantly. With increasing mean annual temperature, leaf C first decreased and then increased, and leaf N and P decreased, while leaf C:P and N:P increased. Leaf C:N did not change significantly with mean annual temperature. Mean annual precipitation generally showed stronger control on the variation of leaf nutrient stoichiometry than MAT and plant functional types. These results could help predict responses of the biogeochemical cycling of C, N and P to the global climate changes and provide reference and basic data for biogeochemical modeling in the arid regions.

[Protective effect of Wuzi Yanzong recipe on testicular germ cell apoptosis in natural ageing rats through endoplasmic reticulum stress].

To study the protective effects of Wuzi Yanzong recipe on testis germ cell apoptosis in natural ageing rats through endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS), 16-month-old male SPF grade SD rats were randomly divided into three groups: ageing model group, and low and high-dose Wuzi Yanzong recipe groups (WZ, 1 and 4 g·kg⁻¹), with 10 rats in each group. In addition, 2-month-old SD male rats were used as adult control group. The ageing model group and the adult control group were fed with normal diet for 4 months. WZ groups were given the medicated feed for 4 months. After fasting for 12 hours, the rats were put to death. Then, the testes were immediately collected. The change of testicular tissue morphology was observed by HE staining. The expression levels of ER stress-related proteins GRP78, p-PERK, p-eif2α, ATF4, p-IRE1, XBP1, ATF6 and apoptosis-related proteins CHOP, caspase12 and p-JNK in testes were detected by Western blot. Compared with the ageing model group, Wuzi Yanzong recipe alleviated the morphological changes of testicular tissue. Western blot results showed that Wuzi Yanzong recipe significantly increased the expression levels of endoplasmic reticulum stress-related proteins GRP78, p-PERK, p-eif2α, ATF4, p-IRE1, XBP1, ATF6 and significantly decreased the expression levels of endoplasmic reticulum-induced apoptosis-related proteins CHOP, caspase 12 and p-JNK. In conclusion, Wuzi Yanzong recipe can alleviate the ageing-related apoptosis of testicular germ cells in natural ageing rats by regulating endoplasmic reticulum stress.

[Protective effect of Wuzi Yanzong recipe on testicular DNA oxidative damage in natural ageing rats].

To study the protective effects of Wuzi Yanzong recipe on DNA oxidative damage of testis germ cells in natural ageing rats based on Nrf2/HO-1 signaling pathway and base excision repair (BER). In the study, 16-month-old SPF grade male SD rats were randomly divided into three groups, namely ageing model group, and low and high-dose Wuzi Yanzong recipe groups (WZ, 1, 4 g·kg⁻¹). In addition, 2-month-old SD rats were used as adult control group (10 rats in each group). The ageing model group and the adult control group were fed with normal diet for 4 months. WZ groups were given medicated feed for 4 months. After fasting for 12 hours, the rats were put to death. Then, the testes were immediately removed. The vitality of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in testis were detected by xanthine oxidase method and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) method. The levels of Nrf2 and 8-OHdG were detected by immunofluorescence. The protein expression levels of Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, APE1, OGG1 and XRCC1 were detected by Western blot. Compared with the ageing model group, WZ significantly increased the SOD vitality and decreased MDA content of testis. In addition, immunofluorescence results showed that WZ significantly attenuated testicular DNA oxidative damage and improved antioxidant capacity. Such changes were accompanied by the down-regulation of DNA oxidative damage response protein 8-OHdG levels and the up-regulation of Nrf2 levels. Moreover, Western blot results showed that WZ significantly increased the protein expression levels of Nrf2, HO-1 and NQO1 of the testis germ cells, when compared with ageing model group. In parallel, the protein expression levels of APE1, OGG1 and XRCC1 were significantly decreased. In conclusion, WZ improves ageing-related DNA oxidative damage via Nrf2/HO-1 and BER pathways.